Victory or Defeat (Part 1)

"Bang"

The purple breath exploded in the sky, turning into dazzling fireworks that illuminated the sea surface for hundreds of meters around.

Seeing the enemy release the signal flare, Sordil felt a sense of calm, because it meant he had once again successfully predicted the enemy's actions and grasped the situation. Next, all he needed to do was bring out the hidden ambush troops, ascertain the number of opponents to be dealt with, and then successfully retreat to a safe location to devise a countermeasure.

Although Sordil had a pretty good idea of what was going on, he still wanted to make a good impression. His eyebrows furrowed, and he cried out in alarm, "A signal flare? An ambush?"

"Haha! Old Friend, you're certainly clever, but alas, it's too late!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Montedoss lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Sordil's nose. Just as Sordil was about to parry, a roar came from his side and behind, followed by a fiery red figure that appeared between Sordil and Montedoss.

"Hmph! You defeated opponent, I let you escape because I was careless back then, but this time I won't let you get away with it!"

Upon seeing Igneel standing in front of him, Montedoss ' eyes instantly turned red. He immediately changed the direction of his attack and slammed his fist at Igneel.

"Roar!"

Igneel roared, then instead of retreating, he advanced, crouching down to approach Montedoss. Just as the opponent's attack was about to hit him, Igneel lashed out with a tail whip.

"Bang!"

Having each taken a blow from the other, the two flew off in opposite directions. After regaining their footing, they charged at each other again. As the number of their exchanges increased, the distance between them and Sordil and his group grew further and further.

"Chief Zakro, there's only one person left on the other side. What do you think, should you go up, or should I go?"

"Chief of Feldroka, you are a guest from afar, so please leave these matters to me!"

"Hmph! You two don't need to be so polite with each other, come at me together!"

"Chief Zakro, look at this matter..."

"Since they have requests, we have to fulfill them, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zakro and Feldroka flanked him from both sides, preparing to attack Sordil from both sides. Having been influenced by many fantasy novels, Sordil knew that in this situation, he had to take down one of them first before dealing with the other, so he decisively pounced on Zack.

"The Ghost Dragon's Roar!"

"Haha! Your breath attack won't work on me. You'd be better off attacking me with your fists!"

After mocking Sordil, Zakro charged straight at Sordil's breath. However, as the breath drew closer, Zakro sensed something was wrong. Only then did he remember to dodge, but it was too late!

"Pfft"

"Aho!"

The dark gray breath easily pierced Zakro's chest and shot out from his back. Then, accompanied by splattered blood and a wailing that echoed through the sky, he crashed onto the sea surface and sank to the bottom of the sea.

Just as Sordil finished off Zakro, Feldroka's attack, which had been hesitant due to Zakro's defeat, finally struck him in the back.

"Bang!"

A huge crater was smashed into the calm sea surface. The next second, a surging wave filled the crater and rippled outwards in concentric circles.

Waving his slightly numb right hand, looking at the gradually calming sea below, Feldroka felt extremely fortunate. If he had rushed up alone, he would probably be the one who was killed. He waited on the sea for several minutes, but Sordil still didn't emerge, which made him uneasy.

"That's not right! Given that kid's strength, that attack should have only caused him minor injuries at most. How come he hasn't come out for so long?"

"Call out"

Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, a gray-black beam of light shot out from the seabed, heading straight for his face. Seeing that Sordil was using the same trick that killed Zakro to ambush him, Feldroka hurriedly dodged to the side. At that moment, a huge black Magic Array enveloped him, and instantly, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and dizziness overwhelmed him, filling his entire body.

"Bang!"

A large hole was pierced in the calm sea, and then Sordil, with a clump of seaweed on his head, burst out of the deep blue water and headed straight for the trapped Feldroka.

Seeing Sordil rushing towards him, Feldroka, knowing his life was over, obediently closed his eyes, quietly awaiting his death. However, the expected attack did not come; instead, a loud shout reached his ears.

"Brother Igneel, enemy reinforcements are here! Retreat!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Feldroka suddenly opened his eyes and saw a black ring in the sky approaching their location. The members of the small force that had been fighting them had all submerged into the sea, leaving only his opponent and the fire dragon locked in combat with Montedoss in the sky.

Upon hearing Sordil's shout, Igneel knew it was time to retreat, and he immediately began to gather his energy in preparation for the retreat.

"The Blazing Fire Dragon's Flame"

A large, bright yellow fireball shot out from Igneel's mouth, blocking his path between him and Montedoss. Then, Igneel put on the oxygen mask that Sordil had given him beforehand and plunged towards the sea. Seeing that Igneel was trying to escape, Montedoss, disregarding his injuries, forced his way through Igneel's attack and gave Igneel.

"Gravity Zone"

"Buzz"

A crimson Magic Array enveloped Igneel, and in an instant, Igneel felt his body uncontrollably drifting into the sky. Sordil, who was originally preparing to escape by sea, noticed the anomaly on Igneel's side and immediately switched to Holy Dragon Mode, then flew towards Igneel's location.

Upon discovering that his Old Friend had abandoned his escape and was heading towards him, Montedoss instantly guessed that his Old Friend's relationship with this fire dragon must be extraordinary, which gave him an opportunity to capture his Old Friend alive.

"Magnetic Current Wave"

A crimson energy stream surged toward Sordil, who was flying towards him. The next second, Montedoss turned and lunged at Igneel, who was being sucked into the sky. However, before he could get close to Igneel, he was forced back by a milky white breath. Only then did he realize that Sordil had somehow appeared above him and was opening its jaws to bite down on the ' Gravity Zone '.

Moments later, his ' Gravity Zone ' was completely devoured, and the trapped Igneel seized the opportunity to escape, diving into the sea. Just as he was about to continue the pursuit, a gray-black Magic Array appeared beneath his feet, instantly rendering him immobile. Then, he watched helplessly as his Old Friend waved goodbye and disappeared into the sea.

A certain underwater cave

"So, is everyone here?"

"Uncle Kaldiz, something terrible has happened! Sordil and Brother Igneel are missing!"

Upon hearing Diphiya's shout, everyone in the cave looked around to confirm the terrible news.

"No, I have to go out and find the young master!"

"Murellia, don't be impulsive!"

"But young master..."

Before she could finish speaking, tears of anxiety welled up in Murellia's eyes. Kaldiz patted her back and comforted her, "With Sordil's escape skills, no one has ever been able to stop him! Why are you in such a hurry to go find him? Don't you trust your young master's abilities?"

"If it were just Brother Sordil alone, he would definitely be able to escape, but now that Igneel is a burden, it's hard to say!"

Hearing Metalicana's sarcastic remark, everyone in the cave burst into laughter, even Murellia's composure instantly vanished, her worry turning to joy. Just then, an angry roar came from outside the cave, drawing everyone's attention.

"Well, I've only been gone a little while and you're already spreading rumors about me. I'll beat you to a pulp!"